It's 2 a.m., and you've just scarfed down another chicken wing topped with Cheez Whiz. Embarrassed? Don't be. Plenty of people flock to their refrigerators to snack on strange, late-night food concoctions, reports a new study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Researchers had 507 students take a "concocting survey" that quizzed them on their eating behaviors and what types of foods they typically ate to satisfy their cravings. The results: One in four participants admitted to creating and indulging in crazy food combos. Think sugar-covered scrambled eggs and mayo-smothered vegetables -- and 41.2 percent chalked up their creations to cravings. (Guys, really? Cure your cravings without going crazy with these Easy Egg Recipes.)

"We were curious on how common concocting actually was," explains lead study author Mary Boggiano, Ph.D., an associate psychology professor at the University of Alabama. "And to differentiate it from regular snacking, we defined it as making strange food mixtures that you would be too embarrassed or ashamed to share with others."

Should serial snackers with a taste for the weird be ashamed? Not at all. "There's nothing wrong with concocting," Boggiano says. But you don't want your midnight snacks to wreak havoc on your waistline -- and that's where Alexandra Caspero, R.D., owner of weight-management and sports-nutrition service Delicious-Knowledge.com, comes in.

The next time your grumbling gut beckons you to the kitchen at night, trade in your high-calorie combos for these healthier alternatives:

If you're craving something sweet...

Snack on Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. Less sugar, less fat, and more natural, this combination is perfect for solving your ice cream cravings, says Caspero. Your move: Grab 6 oz. of Greek yogurt and 1 cup of grapes or mixed berries.

If you're craving something salty...

Grab a tortilla (a high-fiber one works best) and an ounce of sharp cheddar cheese, and create a low-fat cheese quesadilla on the fly. It's easy to make, and it'll prevent you from going overboard with the chips and queso, Caspero says. Just fold it in half, bake it, and top it off with a scoop of salsa.

If you're craving a mix of sweet and salty...

Reach for sliced apples and peanut butter. "A sweet, crispy apple paired with salty, all-natural peanut butter is one of the easiest and healthiest snacks to have on hand," says Caspero. One apple provides you with 5 grams of heart-healthy fiber, while all-natural peanut butter contains 4 grams of protein per tablespoon. The best part? The mixture of protein, fat, and fiber all aid in fullness, which means you won't be reaching for another snack an hour later, says Caspero.

I’m a somnambulist. I find food out in the kitchen on many mornings. Last night I apparently snacked on low fat yogurt with freeze-dried Blueberry powder stirred in. Pretty healthy! But Monday night I woke up sitting on the kitchen floor. I woke up when I knocked over the jar of the mustard that I’d smeared on a foot long sub. Sub was gone!

What’s so strange about mayo on vegetables? For years the only way I ever ate broccoli at home was topped with mayo, and that habit was passed down from my mom. In retrospect, she might have done that to cover up the fact that she overcooked the broccoli.

6
posted on 02/28/2013 10:04:55 AM PST
by ZirconEncrustedTweezers
(I'll stop being a cynic when the world stops giving me reasons to be cynical.)

I don’t think Alexandra Caspero grasps the idea of a late-night snack. Snacks are by nature meant to taste good. Grabbing a vegetable for a late-night snack is perfectly fine if you’re a rodent. Humans desire something a little more tasty than health food. Or “natural” peanut butter on an apple.

The Federal Government will solve this problem. Moochelle is waiting to be placed in charge of a new department to monitor and control people who have thee late night food cravings. Legislation is coming which will require people to get a permit to eat anything after 11 pm and Moochelle will enforce it.

Simple solution: Ban late nights. It’s a nanny state, people gotta get to bed by 8 pm and if they were safely in bed instead of wandering around who-knows-where, think of all the electric power that could be saved. Think of all the bathroom accidents (already a worldwide epidemic, crisis, and disaster of epic proportions) that could be avoided.

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